MXGP of Latvia R8 2026 Race Day

• Top 10 in MXGP for Calvin Vlaanderen in race one at Kegums   • Ferruccio Zanchi finishes 8th in MX2 heat two   The eighth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Latvia, took place this weekend in Kegums, in the central part of the Baltic country, 80 kilometers from the sea, with completely different weather conditions than the previous days. The sun returned after heavy rains on Friday, Saturday morning, drying the sand at Zelta Rigs circuit, making racing even more challenging. After a positive tenth place in Saturday's qualifying race, Calvin Vlaanderen, a rider who likes sandy soils, managed to finish a strong first race in tenth place, lining up confident of doing even better in the second. However, a crash at the first corner deprived the Red Bull Ducati MXGP Factory Team rider of the chance to battle with his rivals; his Desmo450 MX bike was irreparably damaged by a collision with another bike, preventing Calvin from rejoining the track. Andrea Bonacorsi, hospitalized after a crash in the qualifying race, underwent successful surgery at Riga's Slimnica University Hospital on Saturday evening and will be discharged in the coming days.   Calvin Vlaanderen: “Weekend was going well until an unfortunate crash in the start and the throttle cable was broken so couldn't continue. We won't let bad luck get us down and we'll make up for it soon, giving it our all as always.”   Andrea Bonacorsi: “The surgery went well, now it's just a matter of focusing on recovery. Feeling already better now and hopefully I'll see you guys very soon again. Thanks to all my team and Ducati Corse for their support, and my fans for being so supportive. We'll be back soon and stronger than before.”   In MX2, Ferruccio Zanchi achieved the best heat result of the Desmo250 MX's first MX2 season, finishing eighth in a hard-fought second moto. Sixteenth at the end of the first moto, hampered by a crash that damaged his bike, "Ferro" got an excellent start in the second and took fifth place on the opening lap. The Beddini Racing Ducati MX2 Factory Team rider battled with the class's top riders until the mid-race point, posting excellent lap times and finishing eighth after 17 laps. His 12th place overall at the Latvian Grand Prix, just two points shy of the top 10, became his best result of the year.   In EMX250, Simone Mancini had a difficult weekend, struggling to find a good feeling on the challenging Kegums track. After setting the 11th fastest time in his group's timed practice sessions, Simone finished Saturday's first race in 16th place, only to receive a 10-place penalty for failing to comply with medical flags. Determined to bounce back in Sunday's sunny second race, the Italian rider had to retire on the first lap due to a technical problem.   Ferruccio Zanchi: “These have been three really challenging GPs in a row, and we've all had to make a huge effort to get this far. The first race started well, and we showed some of our potential, but then a crash cost us a lot of time and a top 10 finish. In the second race, I got off to a good start, had a good pace, and even though we're still getting used to this intensity, I'm satisfied with the result. This is a good starting point for Montevarchi.”   Simone Mancini: “It was a difficult weekend for me. Yesterday I struggled to find a good feeling with the track, but if it hadn't been for the penalty, I would have scored some points. Unfortunately, today, due to a technical problem, I had to stop. We'll make up for it in the next race in Trentino, before heading to Montevarchi in two weeks.”